Ashes to Ashes
by Allen the Musician
Summary: Taken by the Black Order, and held against his will, a boy struggles to come to terms both with his possession of Innocence as well as his place in a world that is torn apart by war. The problem being... he never asked to be a 'Soldier of God'.


Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man nor any of the characters, just borrowing them for my amusement. Skye on the other hand belongs to me and I'm protective of my little angel.

Chapter One - Soldier of God

"_Wait!" The anguished cries of a woman rang out, carrying over all of the other noises that seemed to echo in the stillness of the early morning hour. The sun was just beginning to make an appearance over the horizon when a group of men clad in black had arrived at a small house nestled in a valley on the outskirts of a small town. "Please… don't take my child!"_

"_Mother!" Fighting the hold of two large men a small boy held out one hand to the woman. There was a pleading look in the eyes of the child as he struggled to get to the woman, who was struggling equally as hard to get to him. She was being restrained by several men but was none the less fighting like a person possessed, actually managing to get close enough to grasp the small hand that was reaching out to her so plaintively._

"_You should be happy," one of the men who was holding the woman whispered, a somewhat sinister light shining in his eyes as his gaze shifted over to the child that his comrades held fast. "Your son is going to be a soldier of God… one of the chosen."_

"_NO!" Both mother and child screamed out as they were forcefully separated._

The boy issued a gasp as he sat up, feeling slightly disoriented. Reaching up he swiped at a couple of locks of chestnut brown hair that had fallen into his eyes. The strands of hair were damp with sweat and the boy was breathing hard, having been jarred awake by the familiar nightmare. Though, despite the fact that it was familiar, the fact that it set him on edge was evident.

"Why is it that I can remember that day so vividly and yet I can't even recall my own fucking name?" the boy growled to himself, his voice laced with irritation, as he tossed the covers to the side and pulled himself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

Slightly longer than shoulder length chestnut brown hair fell haphazardly around the boy's face as he gazed around the room through piercing and intelligent blue eyes. Reaching up he ran his hand through his hair, attempting to straighten it out somewhat… which was of course a waste of time. The unruly strands never seemed to do as he wanted them to so there really was no point to even bothering with it. Seeming to realize this fact he allowed his hand to drop back down to his side. Appearing around the age of nine or ten the boy was slender, with the lithe frame of a gymnast or acrobat. At first glance he appeared among the innocent but looks could be deceiving and in the case of this youth that fact definitely held true.

His musing thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. The knock was loud and insistent, which of course only made the child want to ignore it all the more. Not something advisable given his current location but out of all the things that he had learned since that eventful day that haunted his dreams obedience could not be counted among them.

"SKYE!"

"Oh for crying out loud," the boy grumbled, getting to his feet. Clad in a pair of black pajama bottoms the child was naked from the waist up and this was how he chose to answer the door. It wasn't exactly decent attire but then again he didn't exactly care. His hair fell to partially obscure his eyes as the boy reached out and pulled the door open, doing nothing to hide his displeasure over having been awakened so rudely. "What?" he deadpanned, gazing at his unwelcome visitor through the gaps in his hair.

"You're late for training," Inspector Howard Link stated, gazing at the boy with a stern expression. The fact that the child was annoyed didn't really seem to register with the member of CROW or, if it did, he hid that fact well. His expression didn't change as he gazed down at the clipboard that he held in one hand.

"Don't you have someone else to baby-sit, lap-dog?" Skye demanded, thinking that if this guy would just go away and leave him the hell alone then the chances were fair that he would be able to lie down and catch a few more hours of sleep. Aside from that there were so many other ways that he could think of to spend his time that would be preferable to what this man wanted him to do and he would just as soon skip the whole damn thing. A fact that he made no attempt whatsoever to hide. On the contrary, he went out of his way to make it blatantly obvious.

"I would focus my attention on someone else if you didn't insist on being so difficult all of the time," Link countered, eyeing the boy with the same stern expression. It was a well known fact that this youth had been rebellious and difficult to control ever since his arrival at the Black Order several years previous. "As it is I'm forced to deal with you on a daily basis, to make certain that you're doing what you're supposed to be doing."

"And you're doing a bang up job of it, really," Skye said, his tone flippant as he gazed at the blond man. His blue eyes held a rebellious spark as he regarded the man. He knew that the CROW were the elite soldiers of the Black Order but honestly it was hard to be scared of anyone when you held no fear of death. So therefore he was by no means intimidated and once again he made no attempt to hide this fact from his currently unwanted guest. "But I was thinking that I would just take the day off today… y'know, get some R&R."

"Unacceptable," Link countered, holding up his clipboard and writing something on it. Of course Skye couldn't see what the man was scribbling on his precious clipboard but two things were certain; the first was that whatever it was concerned him and the second was that he just couldn't be bothered to care. "You're never going to master the use of your Innocence unless you put in the proper amount of effort."

Skye scowled, a look of anger replacing the look of rebellion on his face. "How many times do I have to tell you people, I don't want to learn to control the fucking Innocence?" His blue eyes turned hard as his thoughts shifted back to the day the people from the Order had came for him… and everything that had happened since. "I don't care how hard you try I'm never going to be one of your trained dogs… you're so called 'soldiers of God'." He spat out this last part as though the words were bitter on his tongue.

Link gazed on while the child ranted, his expression not changing. He was familiar with Skye's dislike for the Order but it didn't change anything. They were losing the war and therefore all of the Exorcists were vital if they were to ensure victory against the Millennium Earl and his minions. Writing something else on the clipboard Link actually turned to walk away. "I'm going to have to speak to Inspector Leverrier about this…"

He let the threat hang in the air but Skye refused to take the bait. He didn't care how much Link told the man about his refusal to cooperate… it wasn't going to change anything. "And I'll tell him the same damn thing that I just told you," the child retorted before stepping back inside his room and slamming the door closed. For a moment all he could do was pace about the room like a caged animal, thinking for perhaps the hundredth time that he really needed to find a way to escape from these bastards.

Unfortunately the memory of past failed attempts served to make him cautious. Never happy about their little pawns trying to gain their freedom the higher ups of the Order dealt with such things harshly and Skye had vivid memories to back this up.

Deciding that he should probably go and grab a bite of breakfast before he was hauled in front of the head psychopath Skye walked across the room to the small closet. His wardrobe was far from expansive so it didn't take the kid long to choose what he was going to wear that day. Pulling out a pair of black trousers and a black dress shirt he tossed them down on the bed before removing his pajama bottoms. The sweat had dried by this time and Skye actually shivered in the early morning chill as he dressed in his dark attire. As he buttoned up his shirt his blue eyed gaze briefly shifted to the hooded coat that was hanging on a coat rack but, after a moment, he waved his hand in dismissal. Grabbing a rubber band from the nightstand that was positioned by his bed the child pulled his chestnut hair into a low ponytail at the base of his neck, though there were several rogue strands that insisted on hanging in his face. He knew from experience that they were impossible to contain so the boy didn't even make an attempt.

Stepping out into the hallway once more Skye casually gazed around, searching for signs of any of the other inhabitants of this branch of the Order. It was less populated than some of the other branches, which Skye considered a major plus since it made avoiding people easier. Since he despised pretty much everything to do with the Black Order making friends wasn't high up on his list of priorities; that and he tended to come across as sarcastic and rude. Thankfully the hallway appeared clear for the moment, the few other Exorcists who called this place home likely off training like good little soldiers. Skye couldn't relate to any of them which was likely why he chose to be alone so much of the time.

The rumbling of his stomach spurred him forward and, after one final glance around, the chestnut haired youth made his way in the direction of the dining hall. He had been hiding from Link the night before so Skye hadn't been able to get an evening meal and his stomach was reminding him of this fact quite loudly. "Stupid Link," he grumbled as he pushed the doors open and stepped inside. The place was nearly deserted, which Skye was happy about, and he continued to mutter complaints under his breath all the way up to the window where orders were placed. "If he wasn't so damn persistent then I could've eaten last night…"

"Hiya little man," the cook said as Skye came to a stop in front of the window. A middle aged woman with a kind expression she was used to the grumblings of the child and, for the most part, ignored them. She was one of the few who had been genuinely kind to him and, as a result, was one of the few that Skye actually tolerated to any degree. "What would you like for breakfast this morning?"

"Doesn't really matter," Skye mumbled. "Whatever's fast and easy is fine with me."

After leaving the rebellious Exorcist, Link made his way to the office of his superior Inspector Malcolm C. Leverrier. The man would want to hear of this latest instance of insubordination on the part of the boy… something that Link was certain he would be furious about. The two of them had been involved in several conversations about the child who refused to commit himself to being an Exorcist and none of them elicited pleasant memories for the blond man.

When he arrived at the office Link reached out and knocked a couple of times before stepping back. A gruff voice called out from within, beckoning him inside, which prompted the blond man to pull the door open and step inside. Leverrier was seated behind his desk and he eyed his subordinate as Link made his way across the office. "What brings you here so early Link?" Leverrier questioned, clasping his hands together on the desk and gazing at Link through slightly narrowed eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be overseeing the training of that Exorcist who calls himself Skye?"

"That is actually the reason why I'm here sir," Link said, his face remaining stoic as he addressed his superior. "The boy once again refused to go to his training session."

Leverrier was silent for a moment, a calculating look in his cold eyes. "Well Link, we've been summoned to the European Branch to deal with an incident concerning one of the Exorcists there… we'll bring the boy along and see if we can't whip him into shape."

Link nodded, to show that he understood.

"Inform the boy that we're leaving before the day is out," Leverrier said, the tone of his voice making it obvious that this matter was decided and no longer up for debate or discussion.

Not that Link was really of a mind to do either.

The blond haired member of CROW inclined his head before turning and leaving the office. Making his way down the familiar corridors he soon arrived back at the room that belonged to Skye, only to find it empty. Groaning to himself and thinking that the boy was once again making an attempt at escape the man turned and began walking toward the one and only door that led out of the building.

And, low and behold, he met Skye who was traveling in the opposite direction. The child scowled when he saw the man, dislike clearly evident in his blue eyes. Swiping casually at a stray strand of chestnut hair the boy stated calmly, "I'm still not going to train so if that's what you've come for then it was a wasted trip…"

Link held up his hand at this point, his expression stern as he gazed at the boy. "Pack your things… we're leaving for the European Branch this evening."

Skye blinked, slightly surprised by the news.

The trip to the European Branch of the Black Order was decidedly uncomfortable as far as Skye was concerned. Not only had Link used a couple of talismans to bind his Innocence and make sure that he couldn't make yet another attempt to gain his freedom but the child found himself in very disagreeable company. Had it only been Link then it wouldn't have been so bad, the child knowing how to deal with the lap-dog. It was the presence of Inspector Leverrier that really served to put him on edge.

He hated the man with a fiery passion forged in the deepest bowels of hell.

As far as Skye was concerned the perpetually angry man was responsible for every bad thing that had happened to him since his arrival at the Black Order… as well as for the fact that he was there to begin with. Normally he would have been fighting against the pair with everything that he had but at this present moment in time he was thinking that it would be in his best interest to bide his time. After all it would likely be much easier to plan and carry out an escape once they arrived at the European Branch.

Having caught snippets of conversation between the two Inspectors, Skye had deduced that something was going on at the European Branch that required their attention. Meaning that they would be more likely to leave him unsupervised around people who weren't under orders to make certain that he didn't leave.

Unbeknownst to the child a small smirk appeared on his face as he thought about the possibility that he might finally be able to make his escape.

"What are you smirking about boy?" Leverrier demanded, gazing over at the child who was sitting across from him in the private car of the train. His eyes were cold and harsh as he glared at the young Exorcist in training, as though he knew that the kid was plotting something.

"Oh, it's nothing really," Skye replied, offering the man a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders. He knew that the retort that had popped into his head would infuriate the man and yet, despite this knowledge, he found that he was simply unable to help himself. "Just that I was imagining you being mauled by an Akuma…"

Link's eyes widened as he heard these words escape the boy's lips, making it obvious that he couldn't believe that Skye had dared utter them in front of the Inspector's face.

Leverrier seemed equally taken off guard but, after a brief moment of recover, leaned forward and viciously backhanded the boy. There was enough force behind the blow to split the boy's lip and he absently licked at the blood with the tip of his tongue as he glared at the man. "You'd best learn your place boy… that insolent nature of your's is going to be the death of you."

"Tragic," Skye muttered, thinking to himself that if they killed him then he wouldn't be subjected to this life any longer. Not such a bad thought when you got right down to it since he hadn't chosen it for himself.

For a moment it looked highly likely that Leverrier was going to strike the insolent child yet again however the sound of the train's whistle blowing served to offer Skye a temporary reprieve from any repercussions for his comment. Getting to his feet Leverrier growled, "Link, bring the boy and let's go."

"Yes sir," Link said, motioning for Skye to get to his feet and come along.

Skye briefly debated his course of action before obediently moving to the man's side. He had already pressed his luck by mouthing off to Leverrier and didn't want to risk anything else so soon afterward. That would only increase the severity of his punishment should his escape attempt fail and, taking into consideration the fact that his Innocence was bound, the likelihood of success was practically non existent.

Link seemed to find it incredibly odd that the boy was following along so obediently and he resolved to keep an eye on the child as they made their way to the headquarters of the European Branch of the Order. It wouldn't do for Skye to attempt an escape right now, when there was only the two of them to stop him and a large crowd of people into which he could blend and disappear. He didn't bring this up however, not wanting to give Skye any ideas incase this thought hadn't occurred to the rebellious child Exorcist.

Sitting in his office Chief Komui wasn't looking forward to the meeting that was about to take place, as was evident by the fact that he kept fidgeting with the beret that he wore on his black hair. Word of the incident with the Ark had reached the Vatican and they were sending out Inspector Malcolm C. Leverrier to investigate the situation.

And to determine whether or not Allen Walker posed an immediate threat to the Order, owing to the memories of the Fourteenth that he harbored.

Komui was familiar with the Inspector, whose reputation for cruelty preceded him, and was desperately wishing that there was some way to avoid the meeting. Unfortunately he couldn't come up with a valid excuse and didn't even have a Komurin unit to wreak havoc and disrupt the goings on. If only Kanda hadn't destroyed the last one that he had made.

Tears actually appeared in the eyes of the Chinese male as he thought back to the wanton slaughter of his precious Komurin… one that he had worked hours to perfect no less.

He appeared to be on the verge of crying but recovered abruptly as the door of his office was pushed open. Glancing over at his visitor he saw that it was Section Leader Reever who had decided to pay him a visit. "What is it Reever?" he questioned, his expression returning to normal as he effectively forgot about his dearly departed Komurin.

"Our guests have arrived," Reever replied, gazing over at Komui. It was obvious by his clipped tone that he wasn't pleased about the said guests but seemed to be trying to hide this fact. His tone changed somewhat as he continued. "And there's something that you need to see Chief."

His interest piqued Komui said, "What is it Section Leader?"

"Come with me," Reever said, motioning for Komui to follow him. After a moment of hesitation, during which he tried to figure out what was going on, the Branch Chief got to his feet and followed Reever down the hallway. The Australian man led the way to a room where a sort of screen was positioned, the golems that were patrolling the outside of the building projecting images to this screen. Inspector Leverrier was immediately noticeable, as well as another man whom Komui assumed was the other Inspector that had been mentioned, but what was decidedly odd about the scene that was being projected by the golems was the small boy who was walking along between the two of them.

"A child?" Komui said, a questioning look on his face as he zoomed in on the image. The boy was young and, judging by the expression on his face, wasn't overly happy about the situation. "No one mentioned anything about a child…"

"I'm just as clueless as you are chief," Reever said, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Just thought that you'd want to know about this before they get here… in case it's an unpleasant surprise."

"Thanks section leader," Komui said, turning and making his way back toward his office. Walking over the papers that were strewn all over the floor Komui sat back down at his desk to await the arrival of Leverrier and the others.

Leverrier and his group were met at the front door by one of the members of the Science Division, who quickly led them to the office of Chief Komui. Knocking lightly the scientist stepped back as Komui called out, "Come in."

Pushing the door open Leverrier strode across the room as though he owned the place, followed a short distance back by the boy, whom Link was making a point to stand directly behind. Leverrier sat down on the sofa that was positioned across from Komui's desk, a stern expression on his face. Link motioned for Skye to sit down as well but the boy shook his head, refusing to do go. His obedience only reached so far and there was no way in all the seven hells that he was going to willingly sit beside Leverrier.

It made it harder to resist the urge to cause him grave bodily harm.

Leverrier regarded the boy coldly for a moment before turning his attention back toward Komui. "I trust that you are aware of the circumstances regarding our presence here."

Komui nodded his head curtly, trying his best to hide the fact that he had already taken a decided disliking to this man. "I was informed…" This said his gaze flicked over to the boy, whose presence he hadn't received prior warning of. As the boy had walked across the office the chief had caught sight of a strange piece of paper that was stuck to his back, recognizing it as one of the talisman's that the CROW used to seal Innocence.

So they felt the need to keep the boy restrained… that was an interesting bit of information.

"The boy calls himself Skye," Leverrier said, noting the fact that the Branch Chief seemed curious about the boy who was accompanying him. "An apostle who is reluctant to embrace his gift… we thought that by bringing him here we may be able to further his training."

"I see," Komui said, regarding the boy for a moment.

Skye had allowed his unruly bangs to once again fall in front of his face and he peered through them at the man that he wasn't familiar with. His face appeared kinder than those that the child was accustomed to dealing with but there was no way that he was going to trust the man. He had learned the hard way that no one who was allied with the Black Order could be trusted.

"Since both Inspector Link and myself will be busy dealing with this Walker boy I'm leaving you in charge of finding someone to continue the boy's training," Leverrier said, not noticing the mutinous expression that had appeared on Skye's face. "But be warned, he has a history of escape attempts."

Skye flinched ever so slightly as the Inspector casually informed the man that he had attempted escape on numerous occasions, silently cursing the fact that the man was being so thorough. This would make it more difficult for him to get away from the Order even given the fact that his location had changed. Clenching his hands into fists the child was forced to rethink his strategy.

"Just a set back," he thought to himself, refusing to abandon all hope at this point. So they were going to find someone else to serve as guard dog… that didn't mean that he wouldn't be able to give them the slip. He'd actually gotten fairly proficient at this over the years.

"I'm sure that we can find someone to train him," Komui said in a calm voice. "It shouldn't be too difficult to find someone who can keep him under control."

"Yea, you keep thinking that," Skye muttered in a scathing voice, loud enough to be heard by all in the room.

Narrowing his eyes Leverrier regarded the boy, as though debating what course of action to take. For his part Skye glared back, refusing to shrink away from the man. Quite the opposite his behavior was almost to the point of taunting the man.

Realizing that the boy was asking for trouble Komui once again managed to get Leverrier to focus his attention on him. "I'm sure that you have a lot of work to do," he said, his voice devoid of emotion despite the fact that he loathed the man's very presence here. "An office has been set up for you at the end of this corridor. I'll take care of finding someone to train the boy."

"Very well," Leverrier said, getting to his feet and motioning for Link to do the same. As the man walked by he took the opportunity to once again deliver a vicious slap to Skye's face, a parting reminder that his insolence would not be tolerated.

"Bastard," Skye growled as the man departed, absently reaching up and rubbing his stinging cheek.

"You really shouldn't be so openly defiant kid," Komui said, shaking his head as he gazed over at the boy. There was actually a look of concern on his face but Skye wasn't fooled by it. "Don't bother acting like you care what happens to me," the child growled, his eyes flashing. "You're just like all the others… whether or not you try to hide this fact."

Thinking to himself that this boy was yet another victim of the Black Order's flawed methods of recruiting new Exorcists, Komui shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry that you think that Skye… at any rate we should probably find someone to help with your training."

Skye made no attempt to protest this, knowing that the sooner he was left with his new 'teacher' then the sooner he could get the hell out of here.

A/N - End of the first chapter of a new story with an OC main character. Testing the waters here but if enough people like it then I have a story planned out for Skye. Hope that you enjoyed, please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Starting in the next chapter this was actually a role play that I've been doing with a very good friend of mine, Kougetsu-KitsuneHinote-Hakuma, who played the part of Lavi and various others.


End file.
